Leadership as a performing art: Leadership training pedagogies as found in performing arts programs in higher education

The purpose of this study is to present a case in favor of the educational value of performing arts pedagogies beyond the aesthetic training that they offer especially in regard to the field of leadership education. Through a qualitative lens, this study looks at graduate training programs in orchestral conducting, choreography and theatre directing. It examines the particular pedagogies used in performing arts program and discusses their possible transfer to other leadership-training disciplines. The study includes interviews with university presidents with a performing-arts background, instructors of performing arts leadership programs and current students undergoing such training. Further data was collected through site visits to several programs as well as a review of a number of program web sites. Results of the study support the idea that an experiential, hands-on approach as found in leadership training programs in the performing arts gives students effective leadership experience in preparation for a professional leadership role. With that said, the study found that leadership programs in the performing arts have room to emphasize social and theoretical facets of leadership. The study does not present the performing arts as quintessential leadership-training programs. Rather, it argues that pedagogical models found in the performing arts could augment the experiential training currently absent from leadership-training programs in other fields. The study suggests that curricula for leadership-training programs should adopt a less formulated, lecture-style classroom methodology and lean more toward an experiential, hands-on learning approach that is more prevalently use in performing-arts training models. Keywords. Leadership training; performing arts; experiential learning; studio learning; effective leadership; art; leadership; hands-on training; training techniques